greece – Travels with Ali

~ Exploring Corfu – Paleokastritsa and Pelakes – Day 3 ~

Paleokastritsa

Located on the North Western end of Corfu, this beautiful village is surrounded by mountainous tree lined and granite hills. They tower over the glistening bays below. This was our last day in Corfu and our first stop of the day was a walk up to the Byzantine monastery. First established in the 13th century, the current buildings date back to the 18th century. It’s around a 20 minute walk up to the top where we joined dozens of others! We were still able to have a good look around though, on hindsight we should have left it until late afternoon.

Views of the different bays and the surrounding cliffs

The Monastery

The gardens were wonderful to walk through and the smell from the jasmine and honeysuckle was overwhelming. Jasmine is one of my favourite flowers.

After this we walked back to our hotel and hopped in the car to see what else was on offer. My intention was to drive to Glyfada Beach and on the way we drove through Pelakes Village which looked so inviting that we decided to stop for lunch. We found a lovely roadside taverna and settled in for another Greek salad and a glass of the local white wine.

After lunch we had a walk up and down the back alleys and around the houses. There is a hike called Kaiser’s Throne Loop which is what I think we did!

We carried onto Glyfada and Anthony had to drive down and around the most curving hair pin bends and switchbacks that you can imagine! Finally when we reached there it was so busy and touristy looking and overrun with cars that we decided not to stay. As it was just one way in, we had no choice but to drive back the same way. No problem for my experienced and trusty driver.

I think we chose well with Paleokastritsa after seeing some of the other places in Corfu and I would definitely recommend visiting for a few days.

Our last night was spent back at our favourite restaurant Limani’s, once Anthony has found a place he likes and feels comfortable, he won’t venture anywhere else!

“Stay Posted for our next destination”

Exploring Corfu – Sidari and Kassiopi – Day 2

Our man from Friendly’s Rental Cars was ready and waiting for us at 9am in the reception as planned and drove Anthony back to his office to complete the paperwork. We had hired a car for two days to explore more of Corfu.

My Chauffeur with the same red Fiat Panda I drive in Perth

Our first stop was Sidari which is at the Northern end of the island. I had read a blog that this shouldn’t be missed. It didn’t take long, around 45 minutes.

We stopped only for a drink and a quick walk along the beach. It was packed with English tourists and the street was lined with bars, cafes and restaurants many with English names. Although the beach was nice and sun beds seemed to be free if you ordered from the bar or cafe behind. Good for a week’s holiday if you just wanted to relax.

Fancy canopied sunbeds

Kassiopi was our next destination, but we stopped for lunch first. We found a traditional taverna on the side of the road, not too far up the mountain. We enjoyed a delicious lunch. I love finding small gems like this taverna. The place was empty of customers, making me think it was closed. There was a group of men smoking and chatting and when I asked if they were open, they said of course and jumped to attention!

Full and replete we pressed onto Kassiopi. It was only a 15 minute drive there but finding parking was difficult. As usual though my trusty driver managed to find a spot.

Kassiopi is situated on the North East coast of Corfu and was once a traditional fishing village. Now the bays are surrounded by holiday villas and apartments. It’s still a charming and picturesque place though.

There is an old Byzantine Castle up on the hill which we walked up and explored.

This castle dates back to the 11th century but was largely destroyed by the Venetians in the 13th century. They removed many of the large stones to the old town to fortify the fortress there. It must have been hard work!

The views were amazing and the climb up worth it.

I definitely preferred Kassiopi to Sidari and could easily enjoy night or two here.

~ Day Two over ~

~ 3 Days in Paleokastritsa, Corfu – Day one – Corfu Old Town ~

I had booked four nights in Paleokastritsa, giving us three full days to explore. Arriving late, we checked in surprisingly quickly and went off in search of a restaurant for a very late dinner. It was past 10pm and the first two places were already closed, so a search on google maps came up with one more. Luckily this one was still open. For us it was still only 8pm.

On waking the next morning, I opened our doors onto the balcony to the most amazing views. We were staying at The Odysseus Hotel, somewhat off the beaten track but fortunately with a bus stop across the road.

We took a Green Bus to Corfu Old Town for a day of exploring, shopping, eating and drinking.

Maybe a Grandpa sharing a book with his granddaughter

Narrows alleys in the Old Town

After lunch I wanted to have a look at the Old Fortress, I did get a shock when I realised how high it was and what a long walk up there it would be. That wasn’t the worst of it though, as I was silently congratulating myself on reaching the summit, huge black thunder clouds rolled in.

Looking mighty pleased at reaching the top

We just about made it to the next level, with Anthony warning me not to hold onto the metal rails. I tried hard but was too worried about slipping on the wet stairs. The only shelter was a grove of pine trees where we stood with about 20 other people. Not a great choice with lightening flashing and thunder crashing above. Everyone came away drenched to the bone. I’ve never heard such loud thunder before, maybe because I’ve never outside in a storm before.

Making a dash for it when there was the teeniest break and just about reaching the next level where we ran to an old tunnel. Finally we walked back to the Old Town and reached the nearest bar before the next onslaught, where we enjoyed very welcome beers and wine.

We did find a fantastic place for dinner that night though, and apparently it hadn’t rained in Paleokastritsa!

I’ve written this post on my iPad and it’s been the most annoying process ever. Every time I wanted to add a photo the whole post moved up to the top. I should have brought my laptop, but trying to travel lightly 😂.